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THE  THREE  KINGS 

B^  HENRY  WADS  WORTH  LONGFELLOW 

X 


THREE  KINGS  came  riding  from  far  away : 
Melchior  and  Caspar  and  Baltasar  ; 
Three  Whe  Men  out  of  the  EaSi  were  they, 
And  they  traveled  by  night  and  they  slept  by  day, 
For  their  guide  was  a  beautiful,  wonderful  star. 

The  star  was  so  beautiful,  large  and  clear. 

That  all  the  other  stars  of  the  sky 
Became  a  white  miSt  in  the  atmo^here, 
And  by  this  they  knew  that  the  coming  was  near 

Of  the  Frince  foretold  in  the  prophecy. 

Three  caskets  they  bore  on  their  saddle-bows. 

Three  caskets  of  gold  with  golden  keys; 
Their  robes  were  of  crimson  silk  with  rows 
Of  bells  and  pomegranates  and  furbelows, 
Their  turbans  like  blossoming  almond  trees. 


3054 


And  so  the  Three  Kings  rode  into  the  We!f, 

Through  the  dusk  of  night,  over  hill  and  dell, 
And  sometimes  they  nodded  with  beard  on  hreaSt, 
And  sometimes  talked,  as  they  paused  to  relf. 
With  the  people  they  met  at  some  wayside  well. 

'Of  the  child  that  is  born,  "said  Baltasar, 

"Good  people,  I  pray  you,  tell  m  the  news  ; 
For  we  in  the  EaSl  have  seen  his  star. 
And  have  ridden  faB  and  have  ridden  far. 
To  find  and  worship  the  King  of  the  Jews. " 

And  the  people  answered,  "You  ask  in  vain; 

We  know  of  no  king  but  Herod  the  Great !  " 
They  thought  the  Wise  Men  were  men  insane. 
And  they  spurred  their  horses  across  the  plain, 

Like  riders  in  haste,  and  who  cannot  wait. 

And  when  they  came  to  Jerusalem, 

Herod  the  Great,  who  had  heard  this  thing, 


o 

Sent  for  the  Wise  Men  and  questioned  them; 
And  said,  "Go  down  unto  Bethlehem, 
And  bring  me  tidings  of  this  new  king. " 

So  they  rode  away ;  and  the  star  stood  still, 

The  only  one  in  the  gray  of  morn  ; 
Yes,  it  stopped,  and  stood  still  of  its  own  free  will, 
Right  over  Bethlehem  on  the  hill. 

The  city  of  David,  where  ChriSi  was  born. 

And  the  Three  Kings  rode  through  the  gate 
and  the  guard, 
Through  the  silent  street,  till  their  horses  turned 
And  neighed  as  they  entered  the  great  inn-yard; 
But  the  windows  were  closed,  and  the  doors 
were  barred, 
And  only  a  light  in  the  stable  burned. 

And  cradled  there  in  the  scented  hay. 

In  the  air  made  sweet  by  the  breath  ofkine. 


o 

The  little  child  in  the  manger  lay, 
The  child  that  would  be  king  one  day 
Of  a  kingdom  not  human  but  divine. 

His  mother,  Mary  of  Nazareth, 

Sat  watching  beside  hi^  place  ofreB, 
Watching  the  even  flow  of  his  breath, 
For  the  joy  of  life  and  the  terror  of  death 
Were  mingled  together  in  her  breaB. 

They  laid  their  offerings  at  his  feet : 
The  gold  was  their  tribute  to  a  King, 

The  frankincense,  with  its  odor  sweet. 

Was  for  the  PrieSt,  the  Paraclete, 
The  myrrh  for  the  body's  burying. 

And  the  mother  wondered  and  bowed  her  head, 

And  sat  as  still  as  a  statue  of  stone  ; 
Her  heart  was  troubled  yet  comforted, 

6 


Remembering  what  the  Angel  had  said 
Of  an  endless  reign  and  of  David's  throne. 

Then  the  Kings  rode  out  of  the  city  gate, 

With  a  clatter  of  hoofs  in  proud  array  ; 
But  they  went  not  back  to  Herod  the  Great, 
For  they  knew  his  malice  and  feared  his  hate. 
And  returned  to  their  homes  by  another  way. 


FOUR  HUNDRED  COPIES  OF  THIS  BOOK  PRINTED 

FOR  HIS  FRIENDS  BY  WILLIAM  EDWIN  RUDGE 

NEW  YORK-  CHRISTMAS  MCMXXII 


14  DAY  USE 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

LOAN  DEPT. 

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Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 

ii}-'  ■'   • 

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LD  21A-45m-9,'67                              .,   .General  Library 
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Berkeley 

M  3954 


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